Thursday
Nov192009
The Knitting and Stitching Show
Thursday, November 19, 2009 at 9:59 PM
After our herculean efforts for the fair, it was time to kick back and have fun today. And what better place to party than the annual jamboree that is The Knitting and Stitching Show?
This sumptuous extravaganza of all things textile-related is always a feast for the eyes and imagination (but can cause a serious famine in bank-balance land). The best specialist suppliers gather to purvey their glorious goods. There are exhibitions and galleries to browse; the latest technical innovations on display; colleges showcasing their students' work; and classes and workshops to drop in on throughout the day.
Almost as much fun as revelling in the deliciousness for sale is the age-old art of people-watching. Put several hundred artists and crafty types in one place and you get an impromptu pageant of skilful knitwear, hand-made corsages, outlandish jewellery, and outfits put together with inventiveness and flair.
The Knitting and Stitching Show runs until Sunday at Harrogate International Centre.
Tuesday
Nov172009
Treasure at the Fair
Tuesday, November 17, 2009 at 11:58 PM
Tomorrow my partner-in-crime and I are doing our first craft fair together.
I'm so excited to be working with Claire. Besides being a good friend, she's a seriously talented textile artist.
Tomorrow we're launching our Treasure Books: little blank journals to be used for special purposes - as sketchbooks, scrapbooks, notebooks or photograph albums. They have quirky concertina folds; the pages have hand-drawn borders - either pen and ink or machine embroidered; and most of them fasten with pretty ribbons.
There are piles of them here just waiting to go to the fair. Small treasures hoping to hold greater treasures.
Thursday
Nov122009
The Walk to Conistone Pie
Thursday, November 12, 2009 at 10:37 PM
Friends
Two dogs
Weak winter sun
A companionable drive into the Dales
Briefly lost
Directions from a helpful chef
The postcard perfect village
Steep scramble up a dry riverbed
Limestone gleaming in the sun
Trees bowed by years of winds
Snails, sheep, a startled pheasant
Kissing gates and stiles
The distant silhouette of a gigantic bird turns out to be a man with a gun
Conistone Pie at last - a rocky outcrop with a shape reminiscent of.....well, the obvious
Clamber up to see the cairn on top - laughably minute (less than a foot tall)
Views spread into the distance
A footpath for the descent
Dogs tracking unknown scents
A wall thick with moss by the churchyard
Tall monkey puzzle tree in a garden
Sleepy, deserted village
Red postbox, red telephone box, red cotoneaster berries
Off to a pretty shop for hot drinks and cake
Rain starts as we travel home
We've had the best part of the day.